Thompson fans nine in second game

Dowd clubbed four hits in the second game on Saturday at New Haven, which helped ensure the Ravens came away with the split.

WEST HAVEN, Conn. (May 7, 2011) – Junior catcher Mike Dowd (East Bridgewater, Mass.) hit 4-for-5 with a double, scored two runs and drove in two more to lead the No. 15/23 nationally ranked Franklin Pierce University baseball team to an 11-4 win over New Haven in the second game of a Northeast-10 Conference doubleheader on Saturday afternoon at Frank Vieira Field. In the first game, New Haven freshman right-hander Henry Hirsch allowed just one unearned run on six hits over eight innings on the way to a 10-1 victory.

With the split, Franklin Pierce closes out the regular season at 35-11 (19-7 Northeast-10), while New Haven goes to 26-17 (14-12 Northeast-10). Franklin Pierce will finish either second or third in the Conference, pending the outcome of tomorrow's game between Adelphi and Bentley. If Bentley wins, Franklin Pierce will earn the second seed, a first-round bye and will host the double-elimination portion of the Northeast-10 Championship, scheduled for May 13-15. If Adelphi wins, it will earn the second seed and the first-round bye. Adelphi's ability to host next weekend's tournament is unknown at press time.

If Franklin Pierce finishes third, it will host the sixth seed in a first-round game at a time to be determined on Wednesday, May 11 at Dr. Arthur and Martha Pappas Field in Rindge. In either scenario, a full schedule for the Northeast-10 Championship will be published at http://athletics.franklinpierce.edu as soon as it is set by the Conference and the host institution.

In the first game, New Haven opened the scoring with four runs in the bottom of the second inning and never looked back. Freshman second baseman Brendon Buckley led off the inning with a double to left and moved to third on a wild pitch. After freshman first baseman Chris DeMorais worked a walk, Buckley scored on an RBI single to right-center by sophomore right fielder Stephen Clout. DeMorais went first-to-third on the play and Clout wound up at second, advancing on a throw. Next, senior third baseman Tom Rombilus hit a ground ball to Franklin Pierce junior third baseman Isaac Wenrich (Westlawn, Pa.), who threw home in an attempt to throw out DeMorais. However, Wenrich threw the ball away and both DeMorais and Clout scored on the play. Later in the inning, after Rombilus was caught stealing, junior shortstop Ryan Brockett clubbed a double down the left-field line and later scored on an RBI single inside the right-field line by sophomore catcher Shane O'Connell.

Franklin Pierce got its only run of the game in the top of the fourth inning to briefly cut the lead to 4-1. With one out, freshman first baseman Zach Mathieu (Derry, N.H.) knocked a double to center field and later scored when Wenrich reached on an error by Buckley at second.

New Haven answered with four runs in the bottom half of the fourth to break the game open at 8-1. Junior left fielder David Wirkus had the big blow in the inning with a two-run double into the gap in left-center, while Buckley knocked home a run with a double and DeMorais hit an RBI single.

The Chargers added single runs in the fifth and sixth to create the 10-1 final. In the fifth, Clout doubled down the right-field line and later scored on a sacrifice fly by Brockett. In the sixth, sophomore center fielder Jack Heary singled and eventually scored on a wild pitch.

Junior left-hander Brian Maloney (Brockton, Mass.) started on the mound, lasted just 1.2 innings and took the loss (7-3) in the first game for Franklin Pierce. He allowed four runs (two earned) on five hits, walked three and struck out three.

Hirsch started and picked up the win (3-0) for New Haven. Over eight innings on the hill, he allowed just one unearned run on six hits, walked three and struck out three.

In the second game, Franklin Pierce opened the scoring with a run in the top of the first inning. Junior second baseman Dan Hennigan (Downingtown, Pa.) opened the game with a single to center field, went first-to-third on a single back up the middle by Dowd and scored on an RBI groundout by Mathieu.

New Haven responded with a pair in the home half of the first to take a 2-1 lead. Clout led off, pumped a double down the left-field line and scored on an RBI single back through the middle by Rombilus. Rombilus then stole second, moved to third on an infield single by Heary and scored on a wild pitch.

The Ravens would take the lead for good at 3-2 with two runs in the top of the third. With one out, Hennigan worked a walk, went first-to-third on a single by senior designated hitter Derek Ingui (Sterling, Mass.) and later scored on a wild pitch. Ingui had stolen second, moved to third on the same wild pitch and then scored on an RBI groundout to second by Dowd.

Franklin Pierce pushed the lead to 4-2 with another run in the top of the fourth. With one out, sophomore left fielder Nick LaCroix (Grafton, Mass.) worked a walk, stole second and scored two batters later on an RBI single back through the middle by freshman center fielder Ross Lincoln (Woodstock, Conn.).

The Ravens broke the game wide open in the top of the fifth inning, when they poured across five runs to extend the lead to 9-2. Wenrich did the inning's most damage, as he punched a two-run single back through the middle. Also in the frame, Dowd and senior right fielder Mike Munoz (Bronx, N.Y.) each hit RBI singles, while Lincoln stroked a run-scoring double.

Franklin Pierce added single runs in the sixth and ninth innings to cap its 11-run outburst. In the sixth, Dowd went the other way for a two-out double to right-center and scored when Mathieu followed and pulled an RBI double down the left-field line. In the ninth, LaCroix led off with a single up the middle and eventually scored on an RBI single to center field by Hennigan.

In between, New Haven put together a run in both the seventh and eighth innings to eventually create the 11-4 final. In the seventh, sophomore catcher Joe Romanelli hit an infield single and eventually scored on an RBI single by Brockett. In the eighth, sophomore second baseman Andrew Johnson walked and later scored on an RBI single by junior first baseman Ken Bilodeau.

Sophomore right-hander Ryan Thompson (Calgary, Alberta) took the baseball and picked up the win (10-1) in the second game for Franklin Pierce. Over 5.1 innings, he allowed two runs on four hits, walked one, hit a batter and struck out nine.

Freshman right-hander John Melville started and did not factor in the decision for New Haven. Over two innings, he allowed one run on three hits without walking or striking out a batter. Fellow freshman right-hander Kris Selvaggi pitched the next two innings out of the bullpen and took the loss (1-1). He surrendered three runs on two hits, walked two and struck out two.

For more information on Franklin Pierce Athletics, please visit the official website of Franklin Pierce Athletics (http://athletics.franklinpierce.edu). Also be sure to follow the Ravens through the Department of Athletics' official Facebook page (http://www.facebook.com/FranklinPierceRavens), its YouTube channel (http://www.youtube.com/franklinpiercesports) and its Twitter feed (http://twitter.com/FPUathletics).